Afghan soldier killed in exchange of fire along border with Pakistan

At least one Afghan soldier has been killed and more than a dozen people injured in an exchange of fire between border guards of Afghanistan and Pakistan, amid tensions between the two countries over Islamabad’s decision to tighten its border controls.

The clash erupted near the Torkham border crossing, which connects Afghanistan’s eastern province of Nangarhar to Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber tribal district, at around 9 p.m. local time on Sunday night and continued for over seven consecutive hours.

Pakistan confirmed that two of its border guards and nine civilians were injured in what it called “an unprovoked shooting,” while Afghanistan said one of its soldiers was “martyred” and six other Afghans were wounded in the incident.

Both sides blamed each other for starting the fighting in the mountainous region.

“Afghan security forces resorted to unprovoked firing on Pakistani side at Torkham Gate,” said a statement by Pakistan’s Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR).

The incident happened when construction work to build fences and installations began on a new gate on the Pakistani side, the statement added.

The Afghan officials, however, blamed Pakistan for starting the clash.

“The current fight Pakistan started doesn't help anyone's interest,” said Abdullah Abdullah, Afghanistan’s chief executive, adding, “Pakistan wanted to build new installations and Afghan border forces didn't allow it. Pakistan went further and fired towards Afghan forces.”

Pakistan says it wants to erect a gate on its own side of the border so as to check unwanted and illegal movement, and to block the entry of possible terrorists to the country, while Afghan officials say the additional gate is in an area which is a no man's land.

Afghanistan and Pakistan share a 2,500-kilometer frontier, known as the Durand Line. The two neighbors are involved in a dispute over the British-era border demarcation.

Pakistan calls in Afghan envoy

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday summoned the Afghan chargé d'affaires to convey Islamabad’s strong protest to Kabul over the overnight clash.

The Afghan diplomat was told that the firing incident was “contrary to the spirit of friendly relations” between the two countries.

The Afghan side was urged to “thoroughly investigate” the incident and share the findings with the Pakistani authorities, a Pakistani Foreign Office spokesperson said, adding that the firing was aimed at “disrupting the construction of a gate well inside Pakistani territory at the border.”

Torkham is the most frequently used crossing gate at the common border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Islamabad claims the crossing gate has been recently used by terrorists to enter Pakistan.

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